An indictment was obtained on Wednesday charging a former fiscal analyst for the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development with stealing approximately $18,525 in state funds by issuing unauthorized government checks made payable to her landlord to pay her rent.
The state grand jury indictment charges Sharon Caldwell, 57, of Trenton, with second-degree official misconduct and third-degree theft by deception. In her former position as a fiscal analyst for the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Caldwell had responsibility for the disbursement of checks from a checking account for the State’s Disability Insurance program. The indictment alleges that she issued three checks from the account made payable to her landlord, which she provided to the landlord to pay rent she owed for her apartment on West State Street in Trenton: one check for $8,000 dated Jan. 28, 2009, one for $3,525.85 dated Aug. 15, 2009, and one for $7,000 dated July 23, 2010.
The charge of second-degree official misconduct carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison, including five years of parole ineligibility, and a $150,000 fine. Third-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of five years in state prison and a $15,000 fine.
